


First Meetings

by EventHorizons13



Series: 15 Rounds [1]
Category: Grudge Match (2013)
Genre: Boxing, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Jon Bernthal characters, One Shot, uncomfortable situations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:42:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27610865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EventHorizons13/pseuds/EventHorizons13
Summary: BJ takes on training Kid for his upcoming match with Razor. He finds himself a little distracted by someone else in the gym though.
Relationships: B.J (Grudge Match 2013)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: 15 Rounds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018690
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure why there isn't more love for this character. There will be more one shots to come for BJ and Shea. Hope you all enjoy.

He first saw her on the second day in the gym. He was half paying attention to the pull up that Kid was attempting to make, knowing that he really was going to have his work cut out for him. The movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Normally, he would be able to brush it off. It was a gym, there were people moving all around him. There was a fluidity to the movement though, a sort of grace that only someone who was naturally talented at the sport. He had watched enough video and had heard it about himself before his father had signed him up for football. 

“Enough of that Kid. Go jump some rope.” He directed the older man, attention back on him to make it seem like he wasn’t distracted. Once the man was settled into a rhythm, BJ shifted and looked towards the ring. 

Whoever the woman was, she didn’t have that sorry excuse of a trainer outside the ring directing her. No, Frankie had someone who knew what they were doing working with her. Though there wasn’t much instruction being given. She was good, really good. It would be awkward to ask about her, making him look like a creep if he did, and he couldn’t spend that much time just watching when he was getting Kid ready for his fight. His eyes were pulled away from her when he heard Trey ask something to Kid. if he didn’t monitor the conversation, he could be in a world of trouble. Kid didn’t know how to interact with children and that was obvious from the first moment. 

********

The next time that he saw her, she wasn’t done up in practice gear and for the first time since he had met Trey’s mother, his breath was taken away. She was laughing and joking with one of the other guys, a smile on her face that was genuine and sincere. It was the sort of smile that lit up a room and he couldn’t bring himself to look away this time. He was going to end up caught staring but it didn’t matter at that moment. He didn’t know her name or even if she was with someone else. Surely a woman like that had to have a boyfriend or even husband. There were a lot of assumptions being made but his mind was in a rush of a million different sorts of thoughts. 

He was saved from embarrassment though when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He had been ready to abandon Kid and go right over to her. As if he had anything to say to her. The object was to not look like a creep and he had nearly failed that. Trey was standing at his side and asking about the bathroom, providing him the perfect escape from the wandering thoughts that had taken over his mind. 

“Yeah, of course. Come on.” He had to walk past the woman and the few guys that she was talking to, doing everything that he could not to stare. Thankfully, Trey had decided to talk, giving him a bit of a distraction, being forced to focus on the eight year old. He was asking about the hand wraps that he was seeing some of the other fighters in the gym working on. BJ chuckled and began explaining it to his son, appreciating the curiosity that had not left him yet. His son was the most important person in the world to him and even small little moments like these were cherished. 

**********

It was the third time that he found himself looking at her did she notice him. He had Kid working combinations on the pads on his hand, pushing the older man to the point of puking his guts out. It wasn’t the first time and he knew that it would set off a chain reaction in the gym so he had at least set up a few buckets. Frankie had been pissed about having to clean that the first time around. Apparently it was a rule in the gym that the guy that had done it had to clean all of it. Kid had skipped out, leaving BJ to do the cleaning. He wasn’t doing that again, having learned his lesson. 

“Faster with the jab Kid.” He grunted out. “Come on.” Kid still had his form but he needed to pick up more speed. He wouldn’t be able to keep Razor at bay if he didn’t move that leading hand faster. It was when the timer went off and Kid took a second to grab some water did BJ realize his eyes had wandered and she had caught him. He gave her a small smile, hoping not to seem like a complete ass before turning his attention back to Kid. 

“We aren’t done yet. Got another two rounds to go.” Kid had been ready to pull off the gloves. The fight was being taken seriously, BJ couldn’t doubt that but he wondered if Kid realized the sort of preparation and training that he needed. One too many Scotches and meals over at Knock Out had really done their number on his body over the years. Kid grumbled but got back up. BJ was thankful that they weren’t really done because otherwise he might have had to do something about the fact that the woman caught him looking. Not that he didn’t want to do something about it, ask her on a date or something, but he still didn’t even know her name. Or how to begin to approach her. It had been easier to approach Kid and tell him that he was the son that he had never bothered to learn about than it felt like it was going to be to approach the woman. 

BJ was pulling off the mitts at the end of the session when he realized Trey was talking to someone. He swallowed hard when he realized it was the woman that he had been watching for the past two weeks. The two were in a fairly animated conversation, with her having taken a seat on the bench besides his son. Trey was all smiles and clearly enjoying whatever it was that they were talking about. For a second his nerves were forgotten about and he enjoyed the look of happiness on his son’s face. Then he remembered that he was going to have to make his way over. 

Setting the pads back, it gave him a second to compose himself before he walked over to them. 

“Hey buddy. You ready to go?” He asked before looking towards her. Licking his lips, he shoved the foolish nerves to the back of his mind the best that he could. “I’m sorry, he wasn’t bothering you was he?” Trey gave him a deadpan look like it was the worst possible question that he could have asked. Sometimes the kid was too smart for his own good. Something that BJ would never discourage but in moments like these it was not convenient. 

“No, not at all. We were having a great conversation about the lovely art project he is working on.” Some relief washed over him and he gave her a more relaxed smile. 

“Showing off again are you?” He teased Trey, who was in the process of packing up his bag. 

“I needed an opinion dad and you were working with Kid.” It was a matter of fact answer and caused both adults to laugh. BJ couldn’t argue with that. Of all the people though, he had to choose her. BJ reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair as he came to stand beside him.

“Thank you,” he offered to the woman before extending his hand to her. “BJ Rose.” His breath was once more caught in his throat when her smaller hand fit against his for a shake. 

“Shea Grant, nice to meet you.” Her eyes flickered over to Kid, who was making his way over to them. “I’ll let you guys get out of here. Let me know how your teacher likes that wonderful picture Trey.” It wasn’t patronizing or belittling. She was being kind to his son and that had him more sold than anything else. Trey beamed. 

“I will.” He watched her head off to talk to someone else, eyes flickering to Kid again. Something was there and he would have to get to the bottom of it. For now, he really did have to get Trey out of there. It was time for a meal and he needed to finish his homework. 

******  
The fight was creeping closer and BJ had to devote a little more time to Kid while maintaining a balance of his work and his son. The kids at the college still needed him and his son was always first priority. He hadn’t been able to get to talk to Shea too much more than an occasional passing greeting or a brief conversation about Trey. 

When he entered the gym that morning, he didn’t expect to see Kid there already. Or the way that he was leaning in a little too close to Shea. BJ didn’t like the sight at all and it was clear that Shea was feeling more than a little uncomfortable. Gritting his teeth, he was alone today and didn’t have to worry about Trey seeing anything. Or asking questions that might be difficult to answer.

Making his way over, he quickly caught the older man’s attention. 

“Hey Kid. I don’t see you wrapped up yet. Why don’t you go and do that?” Unconsciously, he had shifted a little closer to Shea. She could handle herself, that much was clear by watching her in the ring. That didn’t mean that he couldn’t step in and offer some assistance. Kid looked a little confused for a moment, smiling before giving Shea a wink and heading off. Anger built up and he wanted to haul off on the other but knew that he couldn’t. He forced himself to turn and face Shea. She had a look of relief on her face. At least that was some vindication that he had done the right thing. There had been a second that he was worried she would lay into him for stepping in when he didn’t need to. “I’m sorry.” The apology came blurting out before he could stop it. 

Shea looked up at him, confused. BJ realized he was going to need to explain himself. 

“You can tell him off if he is making you uncomfortable. You don’t have to put up with any of that just because of who he is…” He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling more self conscious by the second. “I mean, if that is why you weren’t. And if you were going to, I’m sorry that I interrupted that chance.” The man may have been his father but that sort of behavior wasn’t going to fly. Especially not around someone like Shea. He didn’t need Kid ruining anything before it even started. There was another few seconds of silence before she finally responded.

“It’s okay. Thank you.” She shook her head and hefted her bag up on her shoulder a little higher. She was still uncomfortable but less so in the presence of BJ. “Not really sure he knows how to take a hint anyway and I didn’t want to cause a scene.” There was some shyness there that hadn’t been present in their previous interactions and certainly not in the way that she normally held herself in the gym. 

“He can take the knock to his ego. Trust me.” He glanced towards Kid for a second before returning his gaze back to Shea. Now was probably not the best time to make the offer but he felt compelled to. Kid would give him a hard time but if he ended up with a date out of it, it would all be worth it. A date. He hadn’t been on one since before Trey was born. He didn’t let that get to him as he opened his mouth.

“Listen, uh. Trey is at his grandmother’s tonight. I thought maybe you might be free for some dinner?” BJ could have cringed at how he sounded. He wasn’t in high school anymore. Something about the woman had him as nervous as a teenager all over again. Shea seemed surprised by the offer before a more genuine smile came to her face. 

“Dinner would be nice.” She reached into her bag and handed him her cellphone. “Uh, put your number in there and you can give me all the details later. I gotta get to work, sorry.” BJ waved it off, more relieved than anything that she had said yes. He quickly punched his number into the phone and handed back to her. 

“What time do you get off?”

“Shouldn’t be later than five. But I can let you know if that is going to change.” 

“Sounds perfect. I’ll see you later tonight Shea.” He was graced with another smile. 

“I’ll see you then BJ.”


End file.
